The Lagos Sate government, through the Lagos State Science Research and Innovation Council (LASRIC), said it funded over 50 research, innovation and STEM projects in the last one year.
The Commissioner for Science and Technology, Mr Hakeem Fahm, made this known at the Year 2021 Ministerial Press Briefing on Tuesday.
Fahm said the state government collaborated with the University of Lagos (UNILAG) on the development of a low cost rapidly deployable Ventilator (Ambuvent Ventilator) of a potential commercial value for the management of COVID-19 pandemic.
He said other projects funded by the government included startups on COVID-19 intervention projects; startups on patent pending research initiatives; innovative startups in sectors such as Agric-Tech, Health-Tech, Construction and Manufacturing; among others.
The commissioner said seven months into the tenure of the present administration, the Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu had announced a N250 Million seed fund to boost technological innovation and initiatives.
According to him, this is in demonstration of the state’s commitment to developing Lagos into a 21st-century Digital Economy and Smart City.
”Grants were awarded to successful applicants, the first set of beneficiaries were selected to benefit from the Lagos State seed fund, in the fields of Innovation, Research and STEM in August 2020 where innovators and tech start-ups were empowered with N100 million innovation grants.
”This is part of the N250 million grants for Science and Technology related ideas and initiatives,” he said.
Fahm said this grant was part of the six pillars of the development agenda of the Sanwo-Olu administration, which included fuelling technology-driven innovations to transform Lagos into a 21st century digital economy and Smart City.
He said the Startup Lagos, being the largest tech eco system, offered retail and institutional investors the opportunities of tapping into the vast potential of early-stage tech driven startup initiatives to blossom into regional and continental scale solutions to Africa’s diverse challenges.
Speaking on the LASG Campus Network Infrastructure, the commissioner said the LASG Campus Network upgrade was implemented with a state-of-the-art Wifi Network (Wifi-6 devices) and an FTTPend to end network.
He said the network upgrade connected thousands of computers from all MDAs within and around the secretariat for e-government operations.
”It increased efficiencies within the MDAs; online meetings and deliberations are a reality; it has enabled flexible working patterns; enabled e-learning across campus.
”It has enhanced implementation of online staff audit; while at the same time stabilising its ICT environments and improved online collaborative solutions,” Fahm said.
Also speaking, the Special Adviser to the governor on Innovation and Technology, Mr Tunbosun Alake, said the state sponsored participants at the 2021 774 Young Nigerian Scientist Presidential Award (774-YONSPA) among Secondary school students.
Alake said this was to boast interest of students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM Education).
He said it was to encourage and involve young children in bringing up projects and programmes that could resolve challenges in the state, such as infrastructure, environment, waste management, among others.
,said it funded over 50 research,){kind=link}